The next morning, the Eleventh Miss rose somewhat late. By the time she had freshened up and had just settled herself in the main hall, the Shao family’s new year gift envoys arrived.

She received the two nannies who had come to pay their respects in the main hall.

“I trust the master of the other household and Madam are in good health?” the Eleventh Miss said with a warm smile, gesturing to the little maidservants to bring small stools for the two nannies to sit on.

The two sat halfway on the stools, with one replying to the Eleventh Miss: “Thanks to Madam’s kind thoughts. Our master and Madam are both well. This time, in sending the new year gifts, they specially asked us to accompany the cart and pay our respects to Madam on their behalf…”

The other let her gaze drift downward, quietly taking in the room.

The main hall was a three-bay open hall with black-lacquered furniture and black-lacquered floor-to-ceiling pillars, hung with treasure-blue curtains. The center-wall hanging was an Eight Steeds painting; the desk screen displayed a double-sided embroidery of flowers blooming in wealth; the flower vases held bowl-sized camellia blossoms. Spacious and grand — and with a few touches reminiscent of the Shao family’s ancestral home in Cangzhou.

Her eyes drifted naturally toward the head nannies standing to one side.

Some old, some young — all dressed in matching official-green pongee surcoats, hair in round buns. Some had hairpins set with precious stones; some wore Western pearl and kingfisher-feather ornaments; some had only two silk fabric flowers, yet wore solid gold twisted-wire bracelets at their wrists. Every back was held rigidly straight; every expression was composed and dignified — more presentable and impressive than the mistresses of ordinary households, yet their bearing before her was even more respectful and deferential than the lowliest third-rank maidservants.

She was quietly astonished, and cast a quick glance at the Eleventh Miss.

The Marchioness of Yongping looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years of age. Her jet-black hair was casually gathered into a bun; she wore a half-worn, half-new pale green jacket patterned all over with gold; her eyes were bright and clear as water chestnuts — though her brow carried a faint shadow of weariness, as though she had not slept well.

The thought surfaced and was quickly released.

With the new year nearly upon them, what mistress managing a great household was not run off her feet — much less a noble household like the Marquis of Yongping’s.

Lost in thought, she heard her companion stand: “Thank you, Madam.”

She quickly stood as well, and together with her companion curtsied and followed a maidservant of sixteen or seventeen, very smartly dressed, who withdrew them from the hall.

“Two nannies, please follow me,” the maidservant said in a soft, gentle voice, friendly and approachable.

She heard her companion address the maidservant as “Miss Lvyun”: “You need not trouble yourself personally — just have a little maidservant show us the way.”

“There is no need for Nanny to stand on ceremony with me,” Lvyun said with a smile. “You are here in place of the other household’s Madam to pay your respects — that is the same as the Madam herself coming.” Then she led them to a square table in a nearby side room and had a little maidservant warm two pots of Jinhua wine. “…To welcome our distinguished guests from Cangzhou.”

Knowing this meant they were being kept for a meal, she smiled and gave her thanks.

Lvyun exchanged a few courteous words about the “long journey and weariness of the road,” and when she saw the wine and dishes had been brought to the table, she rose with a smile to take her leave.

She watched Lvyun depart through the glass window, was just about to sit at the table — and then she saw two little maidservants ushering in a handsome young man in plain clothes and rough shoes.

Outside, a little maidservant cried out in surprise: “The Second Young Master is back!”

The servants inside all turned to look out. She stood by the window and studied him carefully, then smiled and asked one of the maidservants: “Is that the Second Young Master who is studying in Le’an?”

The little maidservant nodded repeatedly: “The very same. Our young master passed the county examination last year, and has come home this year to sit for the prefectural examination.”

“We thought you would not be back for a couple more days,” the Eleventh Miss said with a smile, once Xu Siyu had paid his respects. “I had not expected you to arrive today.”

“If the snow had continued, I would not have made it today,” Xu Siyu said with a smile. “But as it turned out, the snow stopped this morning.”

Compared to the last time he had left home, Xu Siyu had grown yet taller, and his bearing carried a greater measure of steadiness.

The Eleventh Miss smiled and nodded in approval: “Coming back safely is what matters. Come,” she said, rising, “your grandmother has been thinking of you constantly — go pay your respects to her.”

Xu Siyu assented and followed the Eleventh Miss to the Grand Madam’s rooms.

The Grand Madam was overjoyed to see Xu Siyu and held his hand, asking him question after question. She then instructed Nanny Du to go and invite Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie.

Instructor Zhao had closed the schoolroom after the eighth day of the twelfth month and would not reopen it until the second day of the second month next year. During these days, Xu Sijie would either run to Xu Sizhun’s side to play, or Xu Sizhun would run to Xu Sijie’s — the two brothers were always together, sometimes practicing their flute playing, sometimes copying characters, memorizing books, or jumping rope, having great fun.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie came in, surrounded by a cluster of ten or so maidservants and women servants.

Xu Sizhun was gentle and delicate in appearance; Xu Sijie was bright and radiant. Both wore identical treasure-blue jackets lined with mouse-gray fur. Standing side by side, they looked like figures from a painting — no matter how one looked at them, they were utterly beautiful — making the smile on the Grand Madam’s face deepen further still.

The two brothers respectfully greeted Xu Siyu, then stood beside the Grand Madam, regarding their second elder brother with eyes full of curiosity.

Perhaps because the last time he had come home he had shown goodwill toward Xu Sijie only to be rebuffed, this time Xu Siyu simply stood at a measured distance from the Grand Madam and gazed at Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie with a friendly smile.

The three brothers stood facing one another in quiet silence.

Xu Sizhun, with a slight press of his lips, and a touch of shyness, asked Xu Siyu in a small voice: “Second Elder Brother, when do you return to Le’an?”

Everyone was taken aback, and their complex gazes fell upon Xu Sizhun.

Xu Sizhun, looked at by so many, felt rather uneasy. His lips parted and he was just about to speak when Xu Siyu was already smiling: “I go back to Le’an once I have sat for the prefectural examination in April next year.”

Xu Sizhun’s face broke into a small smile at this: “Then, Second Elder Brother, is there any time to go skating with us at the Western Garden?” He said this with a somewhat self-conscious glance at the Eleventh Miss.

Just two days before, the Eleventh Miss had asked Xu Lingkuan to take the two children skating at the Western Garden — it was already a matter of asking a favor. Now Xu Sizhun had gone ahead on his own initiative and invited Xu Siyu along; though he knew the Eleventh Miss would not be upset, he still felt somewhat ill at ease.

The Eleventh Miss immediately gave Xu Sizhun a broad smile, while inwardly feeling moved beyond measure.

Xu Sizhun had been guided by Instructor Zhao and was growing more and more sensible every day. He had even learned to make conversation with Xu Siyu now.

The happiest person was the Grand Madam. Without waiting for Xu Siyu’s answer, she was already laughing heartily: “Good, good, good. All of you go. I’ll speak to your Fifth Uncle and have him take the household guards to escort you there.”

The corners of Xu Siyu’s mouth slowly curved into a faint smile: “Thank you, Fourth Young Brother. I haven’t been to the Western Garden in many years — this is a fine chance to go and see the liveliness.”

Xu Sizhun let out a great sigh of relief and laughed happily: “We’re only going for one day. It shouldn’t hold up Elder Brother from reviewing his lessons.”

“Instructor Jiang says that lessons are not something that can be achieved in one swift push — one day’s pause is not late either.”

As the two talked, Xu Sijie looked at the cheerful Xu Sizhun, then at the mildly smiling Xu Siyu, and followed along with a smile.

The Grand Madam lifted her teacup: “Coming all those thousands of li — you must be worn out. Go and rest well; in the evening, come here to have dinner with your grandmother.”

Xu Siyu smiled, offered a polite demurral, paid his respects, and withdrew.

Xu Sizhun immediately pulled at the Grand Madam’s sleeve, wheedling: “Grandmother, we are making lanterns.”

Ever since that time the river lanterns they made came first, Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie had been waiting eagerly for every festival to make lanterns.

The Grand Madam laughed so hard she could barely contain herself: “Go, go, go!”

The Eleventh Miss also smiled and patted Xu Sizhun’s shoulder.

Xu Sizhun was overjoyed, grabbed Xu Sijie’s hand, and ran off.

The Grand Madam smiled and gestured to the kang across from her for the Eleventh Miss to sit.

“Siyu will be turning fourteen with the new year, won’t he?”

The Eleventh Miss nodded.

The Grand Madam asked again: “The maidservant who goes about with him — her name is Wenzhu, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” The Eleventh Miss smiled. “You chose her yourself that year. These past few years by Siyu’s side, she has been careful and attentive, without any major mistakes.”

The Grand Madam then said with a meaningful smile: “Siyu is grown now — there are certain things you’ll need to look into as well.”

Look into? Look into what? Was she afraid that Xu Siyu and Wenzhu had secretly grown fond of each other?

Sometimes children did not think along those lines at all, and it was the adults who made a mountain of a molehill and complicated matters.

The Eleventh Miss gave a nod: “I will look carefully.”

The Grand Madam smiled and nodded, said a few casual words, and went to the Buddhist hall.

The Eleventh Miss was at a loss as to how to begin.

If she summoned Wenzhu for no reason and put her through a round of questioning — if nothing was going on, that would only wrong Wenzhu unfairly. If something was going on, she would likely get nothing useful out of it anyway. And if she called someone else to ask, they might not know, and might instead alert the parties concerned. But if she did not make use of the time while he was home to get to the bottom of things, then once he was back in Le’an, mountains and rivers lay between them — and if anything happened there, their hands would be too short to reach.

That evening she simply raised the matter with Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi laughed heartily at this.

The Eleventh Miss sulked: “What is there to laugh at? Mother’s concern is not without reason.”

“You little fool!” Xu Lingyi gently twisted her nose. “Mother means she wants you to help arrange an attendant for Siyu’s personal service!”

“An attendant for personal service!” The Eleventh Miss finally understood.

So what the Grand Madam meant and what she had been worrying about were two entirely different things.

She sat bolt upright all at once: “But Siyu is only thirteen this year — or rather, twelve by his actual age…”

The Eleventh Miss felt thoroughly ashamed of herself.

A sense of guilt came over her — as though she were forcing a young plant before its time.

Normally so quick-witted, how was it that whenever it came to such matters she became muddled… He also thought of how, when the Eleventh Miss had first married him, young as she was, she already had the composure and readiness of a seasoned general — meeting every challenge as it came — yet whenever anything touched on private matters she fell completely apart…

Xu Lingyi felt a surge of warmth, and already found the heat rising in him. He stretched out his arm and pulled her into his embrace.

“It is not as if you must arrange for someone to be brought to his rooms right now,” Xu Lingyi said, nibbling gently at her smooth earlobe as he spoke indistinctly. “Look into it now, and then we shall see once the new year has come…” His hands roamed slowly over her gracefully undulating curves. “He is grown, and will inevitably be curious…” His body quickened with urgency. “Rather than have him be led astray by someone unsuitable, it is better to arrange things properly for him…” Her inner garments slipped aside, and the faultlessly fair skin of her shoulder was revealed. “It is nothing more than that one matter — once he knows of it, he will be able to restrain himself…” And as he spoke, he advanced with gentle, decisive force.

The Eleventh Miss’s willowy brows furrowed lightly, and after a brief moment, she adjusted.

“Still — let us speak of it another time.” Her voice carried the faintest trace of breathlessness. “Siyu is still young!”

Xu Lingyi gave a sound of assent, savoring the fine, silken pleasure of her, then suddenly thought again of how tender and delicate the Eleventh Miss was — and kissed her at the temple with tenderness, yet his body could not bear to slow its pace, and instead moved all the more freely, entering and withdrawing within her with ever greater abandon…